PARIS (AP) ― Across Europe, holiday “shoppers” this season are doing more browsing than buying. Retailers remain hopeful for a last-minute burst of Christmas consumerism, and some governments are encouraging it by allowing stores to open on Sunday. But with economies across the region slowing and unemployment soaring, analysts say holiday spending in Europe is bound to disappoint for the fourth year in a row. In Rome, some shopkeepers say holiday sales are down 20 percent from last year. In Pari

Dec. 23, 2012

BEIJING (AFP) ― Clad in a black and orange Prada winter coat with a diamond-shaped pattern she snapped up during a trip to Milan, Jennifer Ren embodies China’s nouveau riche.For the 27-year-old exhibition planner, accessories such as Dior handbags, Chanel perfume and necklaces by French jewellery house Van Cleef & Arpels are daily fashion essentials.“Luxury goods have become a necessary part of my life,” said Ren, who earns about $960 a month in salary but gets virtually unlimited financial back

Dec. 23, 2012

His resignation may have been what former Italian President Silvio Berlusconi wanted, but the timing of Mario Monti’s resignation may cause his flamboyant evictor some problems.Berlusconi’s party agreed to pass the 2013 budget but withdrew its support for his government, effectively making Monti’s position untenable. His resignation means that an election must be held within 70 days ― likely in early February ― rather than in three months as previously scheduled. Berlusconi now has less time to

Dec. 12, 2012

Following is a message from Pakistani Ambassador to Korea Shaukat Ali Mukadam on the occasion of the visit of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. ― Ed.I would like to express my deepest appreciation and thanks to The Korea Herald for bringing out a supplement on the occasion of President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to Korea. Pakistan has developed tremendously under the leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.During his vi

Dec. 3, 2012

The following is a message from Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on his second visit to South Korea. ― Ed.I am delighted and wish to greet the people and government of the Republic of Korea on the eve of my visit to this land of the morning calm and miracle of the Han River. This is my second visit to the Republic of Korea. The first time I visited this country in 1996 as part of the delegation led by the Prime Minister and my wife Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. I still cherish the fond memories o

Dec. 3, 2012

The President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari attaches a great importance to investment and business in Pakistan. To encourage investment, the Board of Investment was set up by the Pakistani government to fulfill all investor needs.To make it the vibrant organization envisioned by the President, the BOI has gone through a transformation in its structure and chain of command. The new BOI is an autonomous organization directly under the prime minister’s chairmanship, empowered to attract investment i

Dec. 3, 2012

Pakistan is an immensely beautiful country and a great tourist destination. It is a land of splendors with the landscape stretching remarkably from the high mountain ranges in the northern areas to the plains and deserts of central Pakistan and the Arabian Sea in the South. Pakistan’s mountain ranges include the famous Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindukush. There are several high peaks in Pakistan, with the tallest being K-2 (at 8,611 meters), which is also the second highest in the world. The

Dec. 3, 2012

KARUIZAWA, Japan (AFP) ― Asia may be driving growth in the world economy but a Japanese businesswoman behind an innovative new school believes the region is over-reliant on Western-style leadership.Lin Kobayashi hopes her foundation outside Tokyo will help change that by breeding a wave of political and business leaders ― but with what she sees as a more “Asian” way of thinking.Building work on the International School of Asia, Karuizawa began in September. The launch of classes, all taught in E

Nov. 27, 2012

Last week was a good one for former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. After a key ally held onto the leadership of his party on Monday, Sarkozy himself was all but cleared in a political funding scandal three days later. Sarkozy was called to testify on accusations of receiving money from Liliane Bettencourt, France’s richest woman and a principal shareholder of the L’Oreal empire.It was the first time he had been questioned since he lost his presidential immunity in May.In 2010, tapes were rele

Nov. 25, 2012

TOKYO (AFP) ― Six days a week, winter or summer, 73-year-old Mitsumi Kobuna gets up at 5 a.m. to go to Tsukiji fish market to stock up his family-run stall.He will be at work for around 15 hours, in a job he has done for 55 years. He has noticed his body slowing in the last decade or so, but would really like to carry on for two or three more years.While governments in Europe have struggled to convince their populations to delay retirement, Japan has found no such resistance, and people like Kob

Nov. 20, 2012

XILINHOT, China (AP) ― In a small town in northern China’s Inner Mongolia where sheep and cattle easily outnumber humans, Fan Chen paid a Communist Party boss three times an average urban resident’s annual salary to become a local police chief. The scheme was exposed and fell apart, but it was hardly explosive news. It received just a one-line mention in state media. And a friend of Fan’s defended him by saying that by current standards, his misdeeds were insignificant. “What he paid was simply

Nov. 20, 2012

Since China’s Hu Jintao handed over power Thursday to his vice president Xi Jinping, the world may be hearing a new song in the communist country’s austere halls of power ― not from Xi, but from his wife.Peng Liyuan, endearingly nicknamed the “Peony Fairy,” rose to prominence as the sweet soprano at the forefront of the People’s Liberation Army with nationalistic folk songs like “People from our Village” and “On the Plains of Hope.” After enlisting as a regular soldier at age 18, her morale-boos

Nov. 18, 2012

The following was contributed by Omani Ambassador to Korea Mohamed Salim Alharthy on the occasion of the 42nd National Day of the Sultanate of Oman. ― Ed.On Nov. 18, the Sultanate of Oman celebrated its 42nd national day under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, who has led a renaissance in the country with wisdom and ability. The Omani citizen has been the cornerstone and driving force behind this modern renaissance in all fields. The Sultanate is keen on education to boost t

Nov. 18, 2012